#FirstStreetIceCream Party w/ Smart and Final

This weekend we had an Ice Cream party with First Street Ice Cream (Smart and Final's corporate brand). For some reason when I go all out for a party, everyone I invite has something come up at the last minute and they can't come. Luckily, the kids and I still were excited about the party.

We set the party up, Ice Cream Sundae Bar style with a large tub of Neapolitan First Street Ice Cream. This tub was large for less than $6, which is great for any ice cream party because it's so large and inexpensive!


The toppings included:
First Street Nuts
Oreo pieces (Oreos I chopped up)
Reese's Pieces
First Street vanilla wafers
Colored wafers
First Street marshmallows
First Street maraschino cherries
First Street Coconut (shredded)
First Street confetti sprinkles
First Street dark chocolate sprinkles



We had Shasta cream soda and rootbeer for floats along with First Street sugar cones, First Street colored ice cream cones for the sundae bar as well.


We put First Street fudge bars in ice along with the First Street whip cream and First Street Moosetracks ice cream *yum*.





The special treat we had at our Ice Cream party was the Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich.
Smart and Final was kind enough to send a few goodies for our Ice Cream party and unfortunately, the chocolate chips melted during their travel. But even after they hardened into one block, I knew I could still put them to good use. I put the block in my food processor and chopped it up into chunks!

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar (packed)
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 package of First Street Chocolate Chips
1/4 teaspoon of salt
First Street Ice Cream (we used Neapolitan)

Cream together sugars, eggs and butter/margarine. Add flour and baking soda, salt and Vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop approx 1.5 inch balls onto cookie sheet.

Bake for approx 10 minutes at 355 degrees. Let cool completely before serving. If they are soft, leave them out to harden a bit overnight. Scoop ice cream on bottom of one cookie, topping with another. Have kids put on toppings such as whip cream, chocolate sauce, maraschino cherries etc.

Enjoy!



Here is Adrienne's creation. It has whip cream, Oreo pieces, Reese's Pieces and a maraschino cherry on top.


Tyler's creation consists of Reese's pieces, whip cream and a maraschino cherry on top.

I enjoyed a yummy float


I also made triple chocolate malted shakes!

Ingredients:
First Street Chocolate Ice Cream (approx 4-5 large scoops)
Ovaltine malted mix (5 tablespoons)
Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate mixes (2 packages)
2 cups of milk

Mix ingredients in blender, enjoy!

(makes approx. two 8 ounce glasses)



So what if you want to make a sundae for later or you want to bring some to a neighbor who is feeling ill and couldn't make it?


We loaded a sundae into a bowl that we could give away. We got a 50 pack of these Styrofoam bowls and a 50 pack of matching lids for between $5 and $6 total! These are great to freeze for later, or use them for soups, fruit etc in lunch boxes.


Our neighbor appreciated this, she couldn't come because she was sick or else I would have taken a photo of her :).
Who knew First Street had so many delicious goodies for Ice Cream? Also, prices are very reasonable!

You can have a First Street Ice Cream Party too!

Want to win a $100 GC to Smart and Final or an ultimate ice cream party? Just go to
http://www.FirstStreetIceCream.com site and create a sundae and send it to a friend to enter to win. They are giving away 5 $100 SmartCash card winners weekly PLUS there will be 3 grand prizes of either an ice cream party for each Grand Prize Winner and fifty (50) of his/her family members and friends.
Fine Print:

OPEN TO ALL LEGAL US RESIDENTS OF ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA ONLY WHO ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT THE TIME OF ENTRY AND WHOSE RESIDENCE IS LOCATED WITHIN A TWENTY (20) MILE RADIUS OF A PARTICIPATING SMART & FINAL STORE. Read more at http://www.FirstStreetIceCream.com

A little bit about the decor:

You may have noticed the plates/platters from my Dollar Tree post!

The plastic cups, spoons, colored straws, clear cups for toppings and table cloth all from Smart and Final!

This shop/party has been compensated as part of an insight study with Collective Bias. All opinions, recipes and thoughts are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Black Bean Salsa w/ Montecito Tortilla Chips

Recently, I picked up a bag of Montecito Tortilla Chips from Smart and Final. This giant 4 lb bag is less than $4 at Smart and Final and can last for a long time! It's great when you have a party coming up or maybe some Mexican recipes in your menu plan!

I have been on a black bean obsession lately and I have been working on a few recipes. I came up with a Black Bean and Corn salsa just recently that is quick, easy and delicious. In fact, you may have this stuff in your pantry right now!

This recipe is super easy, literally can take less than 1 minute to create!

1.5 cups corn
1.5 cups black beans
1.5 cups sliced and diced tomatoes ( I like to use Hunts canned tomatoes)
1/4 cup lime juice (2-3 limes freshly squeezed)
1 tablespoon of garlic
2 teaspoons cilantro (dried)
1 teaspoon dried jalapeno or 1 freshly chopped jalapeno (de-seeded)

Mix together in a large bow, chill for approximately two hours and serve with Montecito Tortilla Chips!

You can also turn this salsa into Black Bean nachos! Place chips on a plate, top with the salsa and shredded cheese. Microwave for approx 30-50 seconds, top with sour cream and serve!



See my recipe video here:




I was compensated for my time as part of an insight study with Collective Bias. All opinions are my own, as well as the recipe and photo/video content.

Easter Basket Goodies at Smart and Final

This Easter, I went to Smart and Final for the kids Easter Basket goodies. The Easter bunny loves to put together cute little baskets for the kiddies, and of course Easter Bunny loves convenience. I had to come to Smart and Final for some items on sale anyways like $.99 chicken breasts and a few things for our dinner.

Here are a few things I found for their basket at Smart and Final:


This bag of Reese's Peanut Butter eggs may get me into trouble. These things are soooooo delicious and the bag has 30 in them for only $4.99. That is only about $.17 an egg! Of course, I must grab a bag.




I'm not really a Cadbury Egg fan, but Brian is! These are on sale for $1.99!


Chocolate Peeps?! Yum!

I found a large bag of assorted plastic eggs, normal colors and shapes combined with some fun decorated ones and jelly bean shaped ones! I had a hard time finding different types of eggs, was glad to find a large bag of them at S&F!


I filled the kids Easter eggs with these:

Ok, I swear I don't have a big sweet tooth but for some reason Smart and Final Easter selection was filled with everything I love. I love Sour Patch Kids, have since I was a teen. When I opened these, I swear I ate 1/4 of the bag they are so addicting! They were only $1.99! I haven't had a chance to go back to Smart and Final but I will after Easter, hopefully I can find these on sale and stock up for the summer, hehehe!


The Chocolate Bunnies above were less than $4 and to me are huge for kids!


Smart and Final doesn't have a bakery but they always have great desserts available!



These bowls are only $1.99, it's great that they are so large and you can reuse them! Who says little chickies, bunnies and jelly beans are only for Easter? I bought the purple bowl for our Easter Dinner. It matches the napkins and plates below!



How cute are these napkins and plates for $.99! I grabbed two packs of each for our dinner, along with some plastic forks.

The little toys I found at the dollar store, with the help of Smart and Final I was able to put the baskets together for less than $10 each!!

Just another thing I found, the kids were able to pass out these cute little bags of jelly beans to their class:
I was really excited about this opportunity to shop at Smart and Final for Easter. I was compensated for my time as part of an insights study with Collective Bias. All opinions are my own!

La Romanella Mediterranean Chicken Dish

Recently I made a dish with La Romanella products from Smart and Final. This dish was very tasty and simple to make! There are a few things I like to consider when making my dishes for dinner. Taste, cost and how easy it is too cook. I also love to create dishes where I can throw in quite a few spices to make my dish taste great.

Grilled Chicken Pasta w/ Asparagus

Ingredients:
La Romanella Penne pasta (these pastas are Organic, bonus)
La Romanella Four Cheese pasta sauce
Chicken Tenders (uncooked, approx 1 lb)
La Romanella Olive Oil
Mediterranean Spices:
I used: Fennel, Bay Leaves, Cumin, Paprika and Sage
La Romanella Parmesan Cheese and Olives for toppings

1. Boil water for pasta. Once water is boiling, place pasta in pot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil so the pasta does not stick. Drain.
   
2. Heat up 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, then place chicken and spices in it. Continue to turn the chicken until chicken is cooked through.
3. Place pasta on dish, then pour pasta sauce on top. Place chicken on pasta, top with cheese and olives.
4. I paired this with asparagus, if you like artichokes La Romanella has them!
   

Right now at Smart and Final, buy a Turning Leaf wine for $5.99, get a FREE La Romanella Pasta! White wine goes great with this dish!

If you love wine, you'll love the trip you could win from Smart and Final! Win a weekend to Sonoma! Enter here: http://apps.facebook.com/smartandfinallr/contests/91010?ogn=facebook

I was really surprised about how many La Romanealla products there were that Smart and Final carries. Check out my Whrrl here:

More check-ins at Smart & Final

I was compensated by Collective Bias for my time, all opinions and deliciousness are my own.

My friend Amy @ Dealusional.com has posted these great deals for Smart and Final!

There are lots of great deals this week at Smart & Final and a $2 coupon for DiGiorno pizza (off 2 pack making it only $4)! The prices listed are for Arizona; you can check out your local ad over here.

Grapes 2 lbs for $2.49 ($1.25 lb)

Foster Farms fresh chicken breasts – $0.99 per lb

First Street 1 / 2 oz. or 1 oz. Fully Cooked Beef or Chicken Meatballs 2.5 lb package – $4.99

Chicken of the Sea 31/40 ct. Raw Tail-Off or 41/50 ct. Tail-On Cooked Shrimp – $5.99 per lb

First Street Shredded Cheese 2 lb package – $5.49

Stouffer’s Party Size Lasagna or DiGiorno Pizza 90-96 oz. or 2 pack 59.2-65.4 oz. $2 off coupon – $7.99 Final Price (Regular Price without coupon – $9.99). Effective February 2-8, 2011

Ambiance Coffee & $150 Smart & Final Gift Card Giveaway

Giveaway Update: Congrats to Sharon Rooney (entry #10)! I've emailed you, please respond promptly so that we can get your prize out to you. Thanks to all who entered!

Every morning after the kids go to school and Brian leaves for work I love to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee. It's in those moments in the morning that will be the only quiet and relaxing moments of my day. Those are my coffee moments.

Recently, I was sent a basket of different Ambiance brand coffees from Smart and Final. Smart and Final just released this new line of coffee this month in their stores!

A little bit about Ambiance.....

The new Ambiance coffees come from the high mountains and fertile soil of Colombia, the tropical islands of the Pacific, the lush forests of Central America, and the foothills of Africa. For maximum freshness, only beans from the most current crop of Arabica beans are selected for the Ambiance Premium World Class Selections. Master Roasters blend and roast the coffee to ensure the freshest aroma and rich smooth flavor.

Flavors of Ambiance:
Hazelnut Ground
French Vanilla Ground
Kona Style
Gourmet Supreme
French Roast
House Blend
Limited Edition Italian Roast
Limited Edition Costa Rican Coffee

So far I have enjoyed the Gourmet and the French Roast. This coffee definitely has a delicious flavor. I can't wait to try the other flavors I have!


Giveaway:
Ambiance coffee product gift basket and $150 Smart & Final gift card

Rules/ways to enter:
1. Comment here with your favorite coffee moment. Leave an email address or a way for me to reach you in case you win. (MANDATORY)
2. Tweet this for an extra entry: "Enter to win an Ambiance Coffee gift pack & $150 gift card for @smartfinal from @SuperSavingSara http://bit.ly/hyqpGV #MyAmbianceMoment" (one tweet/extra entry per day) (optional)
3. Follow @SmartFinal on Twitter (optional)
4. Follow @SuperSavingSara on Twitter (optional)
5. "Like" Smart and Final on Facebook (optional)
6. "Like" Super Saving Sense on Facebook (optional)

Please leave a comment for each entry. Deadline: February 4th, midnight PST.

Legal goodies: I was compensated by Collective Bias for my time. I received samples to try, all opinions stated are my own. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Smart and Final Deals 1/12-1/18

Here are this week's Smart and Final deals for 1/12-1/18

Receive a coupon for $10 OFF your next purchase when you purchase $25 of these participating P&G items listed below in the ad.
Remember, use your manufacturer coupon to make this deal even sweeter!

*Offer valid 1/12/11 - 1/18/11. Coupon will print at bottom of register receipt. Coupon expires 2/1/11. Offer only good on participating Procter & Gamble items listed. Limit (1) one $10 savings per transaction.

Whole chickens only $.79 lb, it's chicken soup season this is a great price!

Lots of great lunch items:

Navel Oranges only $1.95 for 5 pounds!

Granola Bars 48 count for $8.99

Yoplait Yogurt 8 pack $3.99

Skippy Peanut Butter $1.50

Smart and Findal Deals 1/5-1/11

Smart and Final has some great deals if eating better is on your new years list!

Smart and Final New Years Sales!

Here are the best deals for Smart and Final this week ending 1/4:

Chicken Wings $1.75 per pound, sold in 4 pound package
Boneless Beef Tri Tip $2.49 lb

Buy 10 or more Lean Cuisines for $1.39 each! Combine with the promotion for buy 20 and get a FREE lunch bag that Lean Cuisine has right now here!

See the deals here:

Smart and Final Holiday Specials

Here are this weeks holiday deals at Smart and Final ending 12/21! Enjoy a delicious holiday Ham at only $1.39 lb, yams at $.50 lb and canned veggies for only $.50 a can! Serving a large feast for Christmas? What I love about Smart and Final during the holidays is you can buy in bulk at a great price without a membership card!

Smart and Final 12/8-12/14

Here are this weeks Smart and Final Deals
Buy $25 worth of specified P&G items and get $10 off your next shopping trip!

*Locations may vary, see your store ad here: http://smartandfinal.com

Smart and Final 12/1-12/7

Thanksgiving has gone and the winter Holidays are here! If you love to bake, then Smart and Final has some deals for you!

First Street Sugar $2.49 for 5 pounds!
First Street Vegetable Oil $1.99
Nestle Chocolate Chips $8.99 for 4.5 pounds!
First Street Powdered Sugar $1.99
Crisco 6 lb package for $7.99
Almonds or Walnuts 1 lb $4.99

Other great deals:
5 lb oranges for $2.99
Chicken Drumstick $.99 lb
Coke 12 packs 3 for $10

Thanksgiving Dinner

This year I did my shopping for Thanksgiving dinner this year at Smart and Final. I was really impressed with the prices, in fact I got some super duper deals!

Turkeys were only $.39 a pound with $25 purchase. These turkeys averaged out to be between $5 and $6 each!

Yams were $.49 lb

Cream Cheese was only $.99 each

Champagne, only $3.99 a bottle!

Chips only $.99 a bag

Ham only $1.99 lb

Cornbread Mix only $.39 a box

Dryer's Ice Cream $2.99 each (you must try the Peppermint, it's to die for)

What I like about shopping at Smart and Final for an event such as a holiday is I can do my shopping in one place. They have meats, produce, dairy and so much more. Also, I will be honest, I hate doing dishes so I do buy disposable ware. But what I found out when I went shopping is that Smart and Final carries eco-friendly disposable plates! Easy for me, great on the environment!
Here is my shopping whrrl of everything I bought, well most of what I bought. I actually got a lot of stuff that I forgot to take pics of such as the cubed cheese packages and pecans!

More check-ins at Smart and Final

Powered by Whrrl

Since I cooked all day, I really wish I could have gotten more pics of Thanksgiving but it was so chaotic I barely had time to take these pics!

Yams and Mashed Potatoes

Now there are a few things I found out about Smart and Final that I didn't know before:

They have baked goods. I am not talking tiny donuts and muffins baked goods but if you look at those cupcakes up there, that is from Smart and Final! Don't tell anyone though that I passed them off as my own. Well to make the deal a little better, these were actually marked to 75% off at the end of the day, the day before expiration. Which was fine for me, dinner was the next day.

I also found "Red Band" bananas. These are more ripe bananas that were marked $.10 cents less per pound than regular bananas. Another perfect item for me since I was making pumpkin banana bread!

For the main course we had a Brined Turkey. I bought all my seasonings at Smart and Final (as well as my $5 turkey of course). But what impressed me was the week before, I went to another store and bought a container of cinnamon for much more than what Smart and Final had it for. The container at Smart and Final was also about 5 times larger! When I looked around at Smart and Final at all the seasonings they had I was really impressed. There was a large selection and the prices were truly the best I have seen in the seasoning world.

Here are a few recipes I used:

Brined Turkey

• 1cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock or 1 large can of Chicken Broth and 1/2 gallon of water
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water
  

  Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

  Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

  Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

This is really easy to do and the best part is, it makes the turkey so moist! By the way, this is an Alton Brown recipe!

Yams:
I boiled the yams for about 20 minutes, then peeled them. I then added 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of liquid ginger. I beat them for about 1 minute them added marshmallows.

For the punch I used Lemon Lime Shasta, Langers Peach Strawberry Juice and maraschino cherries.

The ham was easy! They come with a ham glaze and they are already cooked so I put it in the crockpot and let it be!

*I was given a giftcard by Collective Bias for Smart and Final but all opinions are my own.

Best Grocery Prices in AZ for Thanksgiving

These are the best prices around the Phoenix Area for groceries during Thanksgiving week. Use these to price match or find the best deal when you go shopping.

Dairy:
Milk: Fry's: $1.59, Albertsons, Bashas $1.67
Butter: Bashas: Challenge Butter $1.88 w/in ad coupon (combine with coupon here for $1 off making it $.88 each)

Kraft Cheese 50% ~ $2.20
Coupon: $5/5 here
Final Price $1.10 each after coupon

Philadephia Cream Cheese $1
Coupon: $5/5 here
Final Price: FREE after coupon

Meat:
Turkey:
Fry's: Jenni O Turkey $.29 lb when you have minimum $25.00 purchase
Fresh and Easy: $.37 lb
Smart and Final, Bashas and Albertsons: $.39 lb

Ham:
Fresh and Easy: $.77 lb
Fry's $1.37 lb

Produce:
Potatoes: Fry's: $.88 for 10 lb bag
Sweet Potatoes and Red Yams: Food City $.25 lb
Medium Red Yams: 7 lbs for $.99 at Ranch Market
Lemons: 2 lbs for $1.00 at Ranch Market
Green Beans: $.79 lb at Ranch Market
Cranberries: $1.50 12 ounce bag at Fry's
Cucumbers: 5 for $.99 at Ranch Market

Boxed / Canned Sides:

Libbys Canned Vegetables $.50 each use Coupon: $1 off 3 from 8/29 SS to make it $.17 each after coupon

Albertsons: Stove Top Stuffing, Betty Crocker Potato Buds and Heinz Gravy $1 each

Fry's: Scalloped Potatoes, Idahoan Potatoes - use $1/1 Idahoan Potatoes for FREE potatoes, Heinz Gravy $1.00

Baking Items:
Fry's ~ Gold Medal Flour $1.50, Nestle Toll House Morsels $1.98

Soda:
Fry's ~ Coke 12 packs ~ 4 for 9 ~ Use the coupon from the Ranch market for $2 off 3 12 packs. When you buy 3 and use the coupon for $2/3 = $1.58 after coupon and sale!!

Dessert:
Bashas ~ Sara Lee Pies (limit one with in ad coupon for minimum $15 purchase)
Albertsons ~ Buy 5 Cake mixes/frosting for $.69 each (must buy 5) Use coupon from HERE to save two more dollars and make them $.29 each when you print two. If you can print more, it makes them even cheaper!

Smart and Final Thanksgiving Deals 11/17-11/23

Smart and Final has some awesome Thanksgiving deals!

Turkey for only $.39 lb
Ham $1.99 lb
Yams $.49 lb
Celery $.59 lb
Fresh Cranberry $1.99 lb
Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie $2.99 lb
Martenelli's Apple Cider 3 Pack only $4.99 w/in ad coupon
Cream Cheese $.99 each (use the $5 coupon here to get 5 for FREE)
Wine and Champagne only $3.99!!!

Also check out the entertaining items such as cups, plates, napkins etc that are on sale below!